There are four basic types of laser levels for projecting a laser beam in the form of either a laser line or a laser dot as follows: rotary laser levels for projecting a rotating laser dot to create a 360° laser line, line laser levels for projecting multiple horizontal and vertical laser lines, single line lasers for projecting one solid laser line, and a point generator for projecting a laser dot. Some laser levels are provided with a tripod interface for mounting the laser level on a tripod. Some tripods include a tilting mechanism for tilting a laser level and therefore its one or more laser beams.
High end laser levels are self-leveling so that they can level themselves on slopes typically in the range of 3° to 5°. Most self-leveling lasers include a laser component which hangs like a pendulum and typically either a horizontal or vertical laser beam projecting through a lens or prism. Such self-leveling laser levels include a locking mechanism for securing the pendulum in place when not in use, for example, during transportation and handling. Self-leveling laser levels preferably issue an alert if they are inclined beyond the inclination which they are capable of leveling themselves.
Some construction tasks, for example, tile layout, carpentry, and the like, require an inclined laser beam. Deploying a laser level at an inclination can be achieved by either mounting the laser level on a tiltable tripod which is another item to be transported and handled or placing a laser level on, say, a building block, and the like. The locking mechanism of a self-leveling mechanism is required to be locked when a self-leveling laser level is deployed at an inclination to project an inclined laser beam.